Law & Policy Active Updated Aug 25, 2026
The global foie gras ban push
Where it stands, Aug 25, 2026 Mercy For Animals said 17,000 additional emails urged Lula to sign the foie gras ban once it reached his desk, on top of the more than 1 million messages sent during the bill's passage.
Brazil became the first country to ban both foie gras production and sales nationwide, cutting off imports built on force-feeding ducks and geese, while the UK's Labour government has yet to decide whether to keep its manifesto pledge banning foie gras imports amid EU pressure. This storyline tracks which countries follow with sales bans versus production-only bans, and whether the UK follows through.
What the brief said to watch
- Raised Aug 25, 2026, no date set The ban takes legal effect 180 days after the law's official publication. [120]
The story so far
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Aug 25, 2026 Latest
Mercy For Animals said 17,000 additional emails urged Lula to sign the foie gras ban once it reached his desk, on top of the more than 1 million messages sent during the bill's passage. Force-feeding grows a duck or goose's liver to 10 times its normal size to produce foie gras.
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Aug 7, 2026
Animal Equality said the petition it ran urging Brazil to pass the ban gathered more than 310,000 signatures. Twenty countries now ban foie gras production, and Brazil joins only India in also banning imports.
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Aug 5, 2026
Brazilian President Lula signed the federal foie gras ban into law over French objections, rejecting industry arguments that force-feeding does not constitute animal cruelty; the ban takes legal effect 180 days after publication, landing in January 2027. Animal Equality's campaign behind the bill gathered more than 288,000 signatures over six years.
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Jul 31, 2026
Brazil's Congress voted unanimously to ban foie gras production and sales nationwide, becoming the first country to outlaw both and cutting off French and Chinese imports built on force-feeding ducks and geese; Mercy For Animals said supporters sent more than 1 million messages to Brazilian decision-makers.
This fight, in numbers
Every sourced figure the brief has published on this storyline, newest first.
- 1 million+ messages sent to Brazilian lawmakers urging passage of the bill between March and April 2026
- 17,000 additional emails urged President Lula to sign it once the bill reached his desk
- 10 times normal size, how much force-feeding grows a duck or goose's liver to produce foie gras
- 310,000+ signatures Animal Equality gathered on its petition urging Brazil to pass the ban
- 20 countries now ban foie gras production; Brazil joins only India in banning imports as well
- 288,000+ signatures gathered over six years by Animal Equality's campaign behind the bill
- 180 days after publication before the ban takes legal effect, landing in January 2027
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